With more consumers demanding plant-based food options, many quick-serve restaurants are modifying their menus to accommodate consumer demand, including Domino's Australia. The pizza brand announced it will now add plant-based beef, plant-based ham, and plant-based pepperoni pizza toppings for consumers across the nation.
CEO of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, Don Meij, said the brand is not solely targeting vegan customers as "93 percent of the Domino’s customers we talk to who are going to buy a plant-based product are actually meat-eaters who want that style of a high-protein menu but they’d like to have more of the benefits that come from vegetables." These benefits, according to Meij, range from environmental concerns to worries regarding the use of animals.
The addition of vegan-friendly pizza toppings speaks to Domino's Australia's quick reaction to the fast-emerging flexitarian diet preferences of many consumers across Australia.
Vegan Meat Pizza Toppings
Domino’s Australia Debuted Vegan Beef, Ham, & Pepperoni Pizza Toppings
Trend Themes
1. Plant-based Food - The rise of the flexitarian diet has created a growing demand for plant-based food options across various industries, including the fast food industry.
2. Meat Substitute - The introduction of plant-based meat substitutes opens up opportunities for innovative and disruptive advancements in the food technology industry.
3. Consumer Preferences - Understanding and catering to changing consumer preferences, such as the desire for environmentally-friendly and animal-friendly food options, is crucial for businesses to stay competitive.
Industry Implications
1. Fast Food - Quick-service restaurants, like Domino's Australia, can leverage the popularity of plant-based food by incorporating vegan toppings into their menus.
2. Food Technology - The development of more realistic and sustainable plant-based meat substitutes can disrupt the traditional meat industry and create new opportunities for plant-based food producers.
3. Food Service - Catering to the flexitarian diet trend by offering diverse plant-based options can attract and retain a wider range of customers in the food service industry.